Roberto Di Matteo, the former manager of Chelsea, recently stated that John Mikel Obi wasn’t duly recognized during his time at the Blues.
Mikel spent over a decade at Stamford Bridge, securing numerous achievements with the club. Despite his contributions, he remained somewhat in the shadows, with players like Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Michael Essien, and Claude Makelele often dominating the headlines.
The former Nigerian captain played a pivotal role in Chelsea’s memorable UEFA Champions League triumph in 2012. Di Matteo, who guided the West London club to victory in the final against Bayern Munich, believes Mikel’s essential work in midfield went unnoticed and unappreciated by the fans.
“I played in the same position as you so I knew exactly what you go for in a game and what you felt,” Di Matteo said on The Obi One Podcast.
“The role that you played in our team is a little bit of an unsung hero role. You have to do a lot of work that the fans or the critics in general don’t really understand or appreciate but because I played a similar role I knew exactly how important you were for the team.”
